What Was Lost
by nekilarose
Summary: When Kai crawls out of Hell in S8, he does the smart thing and gets out of Mystic Falls. But not without taking what he believes is his.
1. Chapter 1

Bonnie moaned as she snuggled under the duvet cover. She had just had the most restful night of sleep in as long as she could remember, and never wanted to leave the bed.

Which was odd because she had absolutely no idea where she was.

What was even odder was the fact that she didn't really particularly care that she had no idea where she was. Her internal alarms weren't blaring at her, so she just went with it. She had been running on fumes for a while now, trying to locate a cure or a way to undo the hex that had been placed on her as punishment for helping Damon after he had run afoul of a few witches. Now that she thinks about it, she doesn't feel the persistent aching that has plagued her for weeks now.

Turning her face into the pillow, she inhaled deeply, whoever's bed this was smelled amazing. Woodsy with a hint of sulfur that told her it was a witch, or more accurately, a warlock. The scent nudged at some part of her memory, leading her to believe she was among friends rather than foes. She wondered what time it was, or even what day, but was loathed to get up and check.

She had buried her head under the covers once again when she heard someone clearing their throat. Bonnie froze as she sheepishly looked around until she located the figure sitting in a chair situated right next to the bed.

"I'm guessing this is your bed, sorry. It's the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in, and God that sounds like I've slept in a lot of beds, but I assure you, I haven't." Her outburst of words were met with a deep chuckle as the figure leaned over to switch on a light. "Good to hear."

The words died in Bonnie's throat as she got a look at the person whose bed she was occupying. He was visibly older, with a light dusting of stubble that looked really good on him. His eyes were still that same blue/grey that seemed to always be laughing at her expense. His lips parted in a smile and Bonnie could see that time had also given him a few laugh lines as well. Those, along with the gray starting to show at his temples, marked him as looking closer to his actual age that Bonnie knew him to be.

Malachai Parker had aged extremely well.

"Long time, no see, Bonster. How's it going?" He snapped his fingers, "Obviously not that well, if the condition we found you in is any indication." He tilted his head, studying her as she focused on him, 'Nothing to say? That's weird. I seem to recall-"

"What the fuck?" The question exploded out of Bonnie almost against her will. "What….how...why?" She stumbled over her words as she frantically looked around for something to defend herself with.

"Relax, I'm not going to attack you. Why ruin all my hard work?" He linked his fingers and rested them across his stomach.

"What are you talking about?" Bonnie tried to call upon her magic, but to her horror, found that she couldn't feel it like she normally could. "What did you do to me?"

Other than rolling his eyes, he stayed in the same position, "We saved your life, you're welcome for that by the way, that curse was eating you from the inside out."

"We?"

"Hi, Aunt Bonnie." The greeting had come from the door. Bonnie's jaw dropped as she took in the twin girls that were taken from them over 10 years ago. "Oh my God." Bonnie scrambled to get off the giant bed, but finds that her energy wasn't up to what it usually was. She got no further than one step before her legs buckled underneath her, the familiar feeling of being gutted from the inside out returning full force.

"Easy, you're still not fully healed." Kai caught her and deposited her back on the bed.

"You took them." Bonnie said weakly, her body already starting to power down again. Kai laid her down and covered her with the duvet cover. "Why would you do that?"

The last thing she saw before dropping off into sleep again was Kai leaning over her, eyes blazing "Because they belong to me."

* * *

This time when Bonnie woke, she was flanked by Josie and Lizzie on either side of her. They were talking amongst themselves about a school dance, and Bonnie paused to just look at them. Neither appeared to have been abused or under duress in any way. On the contrary, as she listened to them she discovered they had a full life with friends and extracurricular activities to boot.

"I told you Shanna was just being bitchy." Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"Language." Bonnie couldn't help but admonish the girl, even though it wasn't her place.

"You're awake!" They both squealed. Bonnie sat up and threw her arms around the now teenagers. They had blossomed from adorable little girls into beautiful young women. Bonnie felt tears start to fall from her eyes as she squeezed them as hard as she was able to. "I've missed you both so much." Both girls exploded into chatter, talking about any and everything under the sun. Bonnie didn't even care that she was only getting every other word, she was just so happy to see them.

"…so Lizzie tried to siphon it, but we couldn't hold it, and Uncle Kai had to do it instead." Josie was explaining what happened to Bonnie when they found her. Bonnie made a face at how easy the 'Uncle Kai' slipped out.

"Have you guys been here the whole time?" Bonnie questioned, which started them off on another round of information overload.

"Girls, why don't you ease up a bit?" She hadn't even heard Kai enter the room, "Let her get her strength back. Josie go make that soup you're always talking about." Bonnie wanted to object, not wanting to let either one of them out of her sight, but Josie looked incredibly eager and Bonnie didn't have the heart to tell her no.

She nodded, "I am feeling a little hungry." She offered. The girls shot up off the bed and headed for the door. Bonnie waited until their footsteps receded before looking over at him. He sat on the edge of the bed, chanted a quick silencing spell, then extended his arms, "Go ahead and get it all out."

Bonnie wasted no time, "What the fuck is wrong with you? How could you just take them from us, from their mom and dad?" Bonnie said disbelievingly. "Do you even care that Alaric drank himself to death because he thought his daughters were gone forever?"

Kai held up a finger, "First of all, what Ricky boy decided to do with his meager life means nothing to me. It just goes to show I made the right call in taking _my _nieces before he could do too much damage. Secondly," He scooted closer and jabbed the bed, "Although that vampire carried them, and got them out of the dreaded diaper stage, never forget that Josette was their mother."

"Who never got the chance to even hold her own children because you killed her at her own wedding." Bonnie went for the jugular.

"Do you think I've forgotten about that? All that time in hell was spent re-living each and every murder that I committed against my family. My coven. So when I managed to crawl out, I made sure I was going to do better by my remaining family."

"How? By ripping them from the only people that they knew? People that loved them?" Bonnie countered.

"People that didn't know the first thing about raising witches, let alone a siphoner, or about being a part of a coven." Kai shot back.

"You do realized the only reason you have to build your coven back up is because you wiped it out, right?" The question was rhetorical, they both knew it, but Kai answered.

"Yes, I know that." He shifted on the bed to fully face her. "I know that I can't erase what I did, a lot of people died at my hands," he ignored Bonnie's scoff, "but getting the chance to do it all over again, with the last members of my family? I saw a chance and I took it. What kind of life would they have had in Mystic Falls? Witches on demand when you aren't around.? Fuck no.

"When they come back in, look at them. They are strong, individually as well as together. Their magical knowledge and ability will surpass me one day. They won't be pushed around, or let themselves get used under the guise of friendship."

The barb hit home, but Bonnie didn't flinch, "They know you as their Uncle, what do you say when they ask about their parents?"

"The truth." He said plainly.

Bonnie's mouth dropped open. "You told them everything?"

"I didn't want to lie to them, and figured it would be better to tell them first before someone else did." He lifted an eyebrow at that last part. "Which turned out to be a good thing." He took a deep breath before glancing over to make sure the girls were nowhere near, "Lizzie is showing a lot of the same tendencies that I did when I was younger."

"What kind of tendencies?" Bonnie asked dubiously. No way was the girl that she had just seen anything like her uncle.

"You know she's a siphoner, right?" At Bonnie's nod, he pressed on. "I've been watching her for a while, there's the obvious jealousy that her sibling can do magic but she can't unless it's been gifted to her. Sometimes even when she's gifted magic, she'll take more than what was offered, but won't think it's a big deal."

Bonnie listened as Kai listed off a few more troubling details, "So you were hoping that by telling them what you went through and what you did, you can help her?"

"Look, if there is anyone that understands how she feels, it's me, plus, she's got a better head start than I ever did. She's not called a freak, or an abomination. I don't isolate her from her sister or any other witches that we come in contact with. I treat them as equally as I possibly can." Bonnie saw the determination in Kai's eyes. Was it possible that he really did care?

"Do you think it's helped? Knowing what you went through, compared to her?"

He shrugged, shooting her a lop-sided smile, "I hope so. I don't want her to be like me. I want her…them to be better. And as much as it pains me, I have to be grateful to your vampire friend for carrying them to term."

Bonnie saw her opening and grabbed it with both hands. "Then can I call her and let her know that they're alive?"

Kai quickly dashed her hopes, "Hell no. I don't want them anywhere near the normal Mystic Falls bullshit."

"I'm not asking for them to go visit, Kai. I just want to be able to tell the woman, the woman you just said you were grateful for, that the babies that she carried, and almost died giving birth to, are alive and well." She pleaded. "I'll even leave you out of it." She held his gaze with hers, "Please."

"Bonnie, I-"

"We made you soup!" The girls charged upstairs with a tray that held a bowl and a glass of what looked like juice. Bonnie broke eye contact with Kai and sat back as she watched the girls fuss over her. At one point, Bonnie bumped the tray and the glass of juice tipped over. Josie simply waved a hand and righted the glass as she kept on describing what was in the soup.

A quick glance over to Lizzie confirmed what Kai had been saying, the look of envy was plain on her face and Bonnie felt her heart speed up. There was no way she was going to let her harm either her sister or herself. Bonnie sent her a smile as she reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind the sullen girls ears. That earned her a story about meeting a few wood nymphs while they were camping in Washington State.

Bonnie noticed Kai was noticeably silent during her lunch. Towards the end, when she felt herself getting tired, and the pain slowly easing back, she chanced a look in his direction. He was settled in his chair just watching the three of them. Or more accurately, watching where Bonnie steadily held both Josie and Lizzies hand with no fear, or apprehension on her face. When it came time to siphon more of the poison from her system, she showed no hesitation in holding her hand out to Lizzie. Unlike the few times that Kai had siphoned her, when Lizzie did it she felt no pain, just a gentle tugging.

Bonnie sank back into the pillows, "Thank you, Lizzie." She fell asleep to the girls delighted little smile.

* * *

The next weeks followed pretty much the same pattern, with Bonnie slowly getting stronger and stronger as more of the hex was removed from her system. She moved herself out of Kai's bedroom into a spare one near the girls. Kai had protested, of course, but the lines were blurring enough for Bonnie without adding in any extra tension. She spent a lot of her time when the girls were in school just relaxing and taking advantage of the massive library that he had somehow amassed along the way. She even had a favorite spot on the couch to sit in while she read. The huge windows brought in tons of light and overlooked a garden that Bonnie was just itching to go explore.

"Find anything of use today?" Bonnie looked up to see Kai leaning against the door frame, hands in his pockets.

"Maybe, did you know there was a spell for homework? Specifically those dumb ass math word problems?" Bonnie asked incensed, "Do you have any idea how useful this would have been for me?"

"Not a math person?" He strolled in and sat next to her on the couch. "Not at all." Bonnie replied. "Matter of fact, Caroline had to-" She stopped herself, Kai never reacted well when she brought up her blond friend.

Kai rolled his eyes as he leaned back on the couch, "You can say her name, you can even talk about her. I know you've been talking to them about her."

"Then I don't understand why you won't agree to just let me tell her they're alive!" Bonnie threw up her hands. "It's not like she's gonna wage a custody battle for them…oh. Wait. Is that it? You're afraid to lose them?" He faced away from her. "No, you're afraid they'll choose to leave you."

It would make sense for Kai to be apprehensive about the girls meeting Caroline, he would be on pins and needles wondering if the lure of finally having a mother figure in their lives would be enough to sway them from his side, another form of abandonment.

Well, Bonnie knows all about that.

She nudged his hand with hers, dimly noting that any reservation she had about touching him or him touching her was completely gone. "Kai, those girls adore you. You know that, right? Hey" Bonnie squeezed his hand to make him look in her direction, "please tell me you know that? They love you and nothing is going to change that. Sure, they may be wrapped up in the fact that the person that carried them and cared for them the first years of their lives is back, but they will always come back to you. You're their home now."

He swallowed hard, "I've fucked up a lot in my life, Bonnie. They're living proof of that, so I need to do right by them. They're the only good thing I have going for me, and I want them to be better than I was…am."

'They will be, they are amazing. As witches and as regular almost 16 year old girls. Much better than I was at that age." Kai scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"No, it's true!" Bonnie insisted, "At their age, my biggest worry was whether or not I'd get asked to prom that year. Oh and that I'd make J.V Cheer Squad." Bonnie shook her head, "God, I was so shallow and naive."

"You looked cute in your cheer-leading outfit." Kai said absently as he stroked his thumb over her fingers.

"When did you see me in my cheer-leading outfit?"

"What? I mean, I bet you looked cute in your cheer-leading outfit." He corrected himself. "Switching subjects now for no reason whatsoever." He shot her a cheeky grin, "There's this dinner thing that I have to go to and I was wondering if you'd like to come?"

"The girls have a sleepover thing tonight, and I didn't want you to just be hanging around her by yourself." He gave her hand a tug. "So what do you say? Wanna get out and explore Napa Valley a bit?"

"Hell yeah!" Bonnie was ecstatic. Ever since he had told her where they were located, she had been itching to get out and explore. The only thing keeping her in was the fact that after a few hours, she would normally start feeling extremely tired. But she had taken a nap earlier and figured dinner wouldn't be too much of a hassle.

"Oh, I don't have anything to wear." She bit her lip, "What shops are nearby? I can probably find something suitable.." She trailed off as Kai stood and urged her to stand as well. He led her out of the library and into the girls' shared closet. "Since you're such a shrimp" he laughed as he ducked her half-hearted swing, "I'm sure there's something in here that will fit you. We've gone to various events with other covens over the years."

Three hours and one impromptu fashion show later, she was outfitted in a dark blue, sleeveless, knee length dress with a shawl. They dropped the girls off at their friends' house for the sleepover before continuing on to the restaurant. Along the way Kai gave her a quick rundown on what to expect for dinner. He was meeting with a coven that once had ties to the Gemini, and had expressed interest to him in renewing said relationship.

Bonnie knew this was a big deal for Kai. Although he wanted to rebuild the Gemini from the ground up, he was finding it hard to sway other covens to his cause. Not that Bonnie could blame them, Kai was unpredictable on a good day, and even though the past 10 years seemed to have mellowed him out, he was still a wild card.

Kai confessed that he really did hope that this coven would reunite with him, they were an old coven as well. Not as old as the Gemini, but just as established and respected. If they agreed to work with Kai, then surely others would fall in line as well.

When they pulled up to the restaurant, Kai hopped out and strolled around to open Bonnie's door. She took his hand as she stepped down and followed him inside.

"It's about time." They were met at the hostess stand by an older blond man with light blue eyes, "They've all been waiting on pins and needles for you two to arrive." The man turned to Bonnie and offered his hand, "It's truly an honor to finally get the chance to meet you, Ms. Bennett."

Bonnie shook his hand while giving Kai some serious side-eye, "Um, I had no idea I was expected to be here, but it's nice to meet you…" She trailed off as she waited for him to give his name.

"Oh, I'm Shawn. Sorry, I'm just a bit flustered, your reputation precedes you." He explained.

"Hopefully not in a bad way," This was why Bonnie hated giving her name, especially to other witches. It always led to people assuming they knew her through her deeds and family lineage.

"Oh, no. You're quite the trailblazer and inspiration to our younger crowd. The fact that you manage to work not only with vampires and wolves, but all kinds of other beings, speak very highly of you." He led them into a dining area that was empty except for a table full of people.

"I was wondering if you'd gotten lost." They were joined by a red-haired man with a nicely kept goatee as they approached the table. "This is my husband Clint." Shawn introduced him Bonnie. Clint peered at Bonnie silently, "You have the same aura now as you did when you were a baby." He said quietly.

"We've met?" Bonnie asked. He nodded, "Your mother and I were close friends, after you were born, she brought you around a few times." His eyes glossed over, "but of course life goes on and we lost touch. It's good to see you again, Bonnie. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to call." He pulled a card out of his jacket pocket.

Bonnie accepted it with a smile, slipping it inside her borrowed purse. Kai placed a hand on her lower back and steered her towards the head of the table. "This coven is matriarchal, kind of like the Bennetts. Their current leader is Claire Kellett, she's been the head for going on 30 years. I believe she knew Sheila too."

Bonnie followed Kai around the table, greeting everyone she came in contact with. She mostly sat silent during dinner, content to sit back and watch Kai work the room. He may not have shown it, but Bonnie knew he was nervous about this meeting.

She got her fair share of attention as well. When Bonnie had first left Mystic Falls all those years ago after losing Enzo, she had no idea that what she had been up to in her little town was known public knowledge. Time and time again, she had been proven wrong. She had even had a few run-ins with vampires that had lost someone when either Finn or Kol had been killed (the first time) and they were looking for revenge.

She had learned that the world, especially the supernatural world, wasn't as big as she thought it was. Her actions over the years had definitely set off ripples that followed her to this day. She paused with her wineglass halfway to her lips, thinking that was probably another reason why the witches hexed her in the first place. Knowing Damon, he had probably done something to them and threw her name out there to try and save his ass.

"Ugh." She downed the rest of her drink, ignoring the confused look Kai sent her way.

The night passed uneventfully, and by the time they said their goodbyes, Bonnie was a little tipsy and had to hang on to Kai's arm for balance.

"Never would have pegged you for a lightweight, Bennett." Kai teased as he helped her out of the car.

"I'm not!" She denied, tripping over her own two feet seconds later.

"Not one word."

* * *

The time passed quickly. Bonnie was surprised to note she had been there for three months when the subject of the girl's 16th birthday came up. They only wanted one thing: to meet the woman that carried them and cared for them for the first few years of their life.

Bonnie knew Kai blamed her for that, but Josie confided in her that they'd already been asking off and on for years to meet Caroline. The last time had been a mere month before Bonnie showed up on their radar. Kai had always given a resounding to to their requests, but the girls figured that since Bonnie showed up, she could add her voice to theirs and maybe he'd give in.

Bonnie figured she had nothing to lose since she had been lobbying for the same thing. The only time she and Kai fought was regarding that subject. She usually dropped the matter before too long due to it being too taxing on her system, but she was fully healed now, and there would be no backing down.

The "discussion" lasted for a week straight. They destroy three rooms, and certain parts of the garden were scorched from fire, but in the end Kai agrees to Bonnie telling Caroline, and allowing her to visit on the condition that she not try to convince the girls to leave. The final nail was most likely Bonnie throwing out how soon they would be more powerful than he is and he would have no choice in what they did or where they went. That it would be so much better for him to allow it now so he can control the narrative. Kai stormed out and was gone for the rest of the night. He returned in the morning with a list of ground rules for Bonnie and Caroline to follow. Most notably, tell no one else or he would take the girls and disappear once more.

On the morning she leaves, the girls hug and kiss her goodbye before heading off to school, then Kai drives her to the airport. He parks and walks her inside against her wishes. She only has one bag to check and before long they're standing next to the security checkpoint.

"I don't think I ever asked why you saved me." Bonnie finds she is really curious to hear his answer.

Kai shrugged, "It was my good deed for the day?"

"Be serious." She admonished.

"Come on, Bon. I know you know why." Kai pins her with his gaze as he steps towards her.

"Yeah, but maybe I just want to hear you say it." She doesn't retreat as he moves closer. He cups her face in his hands and leans down to brush his lips against hers, just teasing a little. Bonnie tilts her head to the left and wraps her hands around his waist. She sighs as he takes her invitation and runs his tongue over her bottom lip before slanting his mouth over hers and deepening the kiss.

They're interrupted by a security guard, and normally Bonnie would be embarrassed to have been caught making out in public like a horny teenager, but this has been brewing between them for a while, even before he was killed at the wedding that never was. He drops another kiss on her lips before releasing her.

"Have a good flight." His voice is husky.

"I'll see you soon." She promises.

* * *

When she gets back to Mystic Falls, she makes a beeline for Caroline's place, not even bothering to go her home first. She holds her childhood friend as she cries in her arms, finally knowing what happened to the little girls who just disappeared one day. She's overcome when Bonnie tells her that not only do the girls remember her, but they want to meet.

Caroline is halfway packed upon hearing that, and wants to leave immediately, but agrees to wait a bit while Bonnie handles a few matters of her own. In the meantime, her phone is never far from her hands constantly either talking or video chatting with the girls. When she hears they aren't having a sweet sixteen party, she nixes that idea and gets to planning.

Soon it's time to leave Mystic Falls again, and Caroline is laden down with old picture albums and a few items she had saved over the years. This time, Bonnie rents a car and they drive to the Parker compound. The car has barely stopped before Caroline is exploding from her seat and heading to the front door. The girls bound out and soon they're all in a hugging, sobbing heap on the front lawn.

Bonnie is watching with tears in her eyes when she sees Kai emerge from the house. She watches as he stops to speak with Caroline briefly before continuing on to stand in front of her.

"Told you I'd be back." Bonnie teases.

His only answer is a kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

"No, this won't work." Caroline barely steps inside the home before she dismisses it.

The realtor barely holds in her annoyance before crossing the last home off her listing. Bonnie hides her smile behind her hand as they all troop outside.

"Well, I'll have to head back to the office and rustle up more potential homes. I'll be in touch, Ms. Forbes." With that, the woman beelines to her car, most likely cursing her newest client.

"That was a bust." Caroline blew out a stream of air. "Maybe I should get my own list together. I mean, this cannot be all that they have to offer. I'm sure I can find something better on my own. What do you think?"

Bonnie raises an eyebrow, "Oh, are you asking for my opinion? I thought I was banned from saying anything after I liked the blue cottage."

"You know I didn't mean it, and besides, this will be your home too! Don't you want to find the perfect place for all of us?" Caroline cajoled.

Bonnie smiled softly at the blonde, ever since she had been reunited with the girls, Caroline has been adamant about not letting anymore time slip through her fingers. She quit her job in Mystic Falls without hesitation, and began planning her move out to California.

_"I would have had to leave eventually"_ she rationalized to Bonnie. _"This is just a head start."_

They were all staying at the Parker house during their transition, and while Kai said he didn't mind, Bonnie knows having Caroline there constantly has him a little on edge. He'd taken to disappearing in the library after dinner. He claimed that he wanted to give them all a chance to get to know each other again, but Bonnie knew he was just steeling himself for what he thinks is inevitable. That the girls would want to leave him.

Caroline squinted at Bonnie, "You will be moving in with me, right?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Bonnie walked towards the car.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because there's a certain warlock who follows your every move that doesn't want you to go?" She teased buckling herself in the passenger seat. "You two seem to have gotten over your bad history, and hello, I have eyes!"

"That doesn't mean I'm going to move in with him, Care." Bonnie starts the drive back to their temporary home.

"I'm just saying, it's not like any of us would be surprised. I can only imagine what you two get up to in the library." Bonnie remains suspiciously quiet, which sets Caroline's 'gossip' meter pinging. "Bonnie? What have you two been up to in the library?"

Bonnie kept quiet.

"If you think I won't grab that wheel, you are sadly mistaken." Caroline threatened.

"We haven't done anything more than make-out." Bonnie mumbled.

"Pull over." Bonnie knew that tone, and she hastily complied.

Once they were safely parked in an empty parking lot, Caroline turned to Bonnie. "Okay what is it? Why have you not jumped on that and ridden it like Seabiscuit?"

Bonnie shrugged, "It's not like I don't want to, I'm just…"

"Waiting on the other shoe to drop?" Caroline suggested gently.

"I guess, yeah. You know my history, I haven't had the best luck with guys sticking around, and if I start something with Kai and it goes south…..I'd be crushed. I mean, I'd be absolutely devastated, Care. I want him, I really want him, all of him. Why can't I get over this stupid fear and go for what I want?" Bonnie sniffled.

"Because you unfortunately have had extremely shitty luck when it comes to your boyfriends." Caroline said bluntly. "I've watched you over the years after Enzo died and you have closed yourself off to anyone that even hints that they like you."

"Um, cause I seem to be cursed. Kai has somehow managed to do the impossible and turn his life around, he's actually a great Uncle. I don't want to come in and blow all that progress out the water. Knowing my luck, we'll get together and he'll somehow manage to get tossed into another prison world." Bonnie grumbled.

"Look, I'll admit that I'm not the biggest fan of Kai." Caroline turned to face Bonnie. "He swooped in and took my girls from right out underneath our noses. Alaric drank himself to death because he thought he had nothing to live for, and quite frankly, he puts me on edge. But even I have to give him props for raising the girls to be so fierce. They're never going to have to go through what we put you through, and honestly, I'm grateful to him for that if nothing else."

"You need someone like him in your life, Bon. I know what you're thinking, and this isn't really like Elena and Damon. Kai hurt me yes, but it wasn't because he was trying to get into your panties, or piss off a sibling, he made a decision to do better by his last remaining family members. Yes, he killed his family and his coven, but I truly believe his time in 1903 and Hell changed him. You must think so too, if you didn't you wouldn't be okay with leaving them in his care."

Bonnie nodded in agreement as she started up the car and brought them back to the house. Kai had made no secret that he would be okay with her deciding to stay at his home, but she couldn't leave Caroline alone when she uprooted her whole life just to be near the girls.

Could she?

* * *

She mulled over what Caroline said as she got dressed for dinner. She had been invited to dinner with a few members of the Kellett coven. The invitation was just for her, so Bonnie knew from Shawn that they wanted to pick her brain about Kai. His past actions, his current actions, and everything in between. They still hadn't said yes to becoming a formal ally to the newly formed Gemini coven, and Bonnie hated the idea that she would most likely be the swing vote.

"You look nice." Bonnie jumped as Kai's voice floated over to her.

"Thanks," She ran her hands down her sides, "I hope this is appropriate."

He walked in and stood behind her wrapping his arms around her as they both looked at their reflections in the mirror. "It's very tasteful." He dropped a kiss on her shoulder. "Did you and Caroline find something suitable?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "You know we didn't, otherwise I'm sure you would have heard us talking about it. I forgot how picky she can be." She turns around to face him. "Sorry, looks like you're stuck with us for a while longer."

"I think I can live with that." She lifts her face, and his eager lips meet hers in an impromptu make-out session.

Footsteps thunder past the still open door. "Auntie Bonnie, the car's here!" They break apart breathing heavily.

"Are you gonna be up when I get back?" Bonnie asks.

"I'm pretty sure I'm always 'up' around you." Kai quips. It's the perfect thing to get them giggling like the teenagers they no longer are. Bonnie smacks him on the arm as she leaves the circle of his arms to gather her purse and shoes. He walks her to the car, and right before he shuts the door he leans in, "Whatever they ask you, just answer. Good, bad, or whatever. I trust you." With that, he's gone and the car is on it's way.

Bonnie is surprised to pull up to a house, and not another restaurant. Her door opens to Shawn's smiling face, his husband not too far behind him. "Thank you for coming, Bonnie. I heard the bad news about the cottage, tough luck kiddo." She smiled up at him, in the time that she's been back in California she's grown close to the older man. Caroline liked him too, although not as well as she ended up liking Clint.

The vampire had made her intentions about settling in near the girls very clear from the get go, everyone else be damned. Bonnie was fully prepared to fight for her friend to stay, but they found an excellent ally in Clint, who revealed that he had spent a chunk of his childhood years being raised by a vampire himself before her untimely death.

The two of them quickly bonded, and it was usually Clint that accompanied Caroline on her impossible house search. He owned his own architectural firm, and used his connections to put Caroline in contact with a realtor that he'd worked with over the years. Shawn had confided in Bonnie that Clint was looking to build their forever home, and his house hunting with Caroline was doing nothing but giving him more ideas than they could ever feasibly execute. Both he and Bonnie were hoping that Caroline found a place soon.

"It was perfect." Bonnie lamented about her one choice. "It had room for all of us, but not freakishly huge. It was near Kai and the girls' school. I swear, sometimes I think she's drawing this out on purpose." She hugged Clint and fixed him with a stern look, "Can you tell your friend that she's got one more week then I'm making a choice myself."

Clint merely laughed and walked with them to the dining room. They stopped at the door, "You're not joining us?" Clint shook his head, "This is just for you and Claire, we'll be nearby, but we aren't needed here." Bonnie had been relaxed about dinner up until that very moment, but hearing it would be just her and the coven leader freaked her out completely.

"Bonnie, so nice to see you again." Claire hugged her warmly. Bonnie really liked the older woman, she ran her coven in what seemed like a fair way. No sketchy merging ceremonies, or ritualistic killing of its younger members to gain and keep power, plus, they worked with other species. If Bonnie had been interested in joining a coven, the Kellett Coven would have been at the top of the list.

"Thank you for inviting me." Bonnie greeted as she took her seat.

"I'm sure you know why you're here, and you're mostly right. But I also wanted to talk about you." Bonnie feels her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, she tries to recall if she's run afoul of any members of her coven in the preceding years.

What she's thinking must show on her face because Claire laughs and assures her that this isn't an ambush nor does she bear any ill will towards Bonnie. They enjoy a delicious dinner of roasted chicken and finish with the most amazing chocolate mousse Bonnie has ever tasted.

They adjourned to the study after dinner where Claire got right down to business. "I invited you here because you are one of the only people who have seen all sides of Mr. Parker. Pre and post merge. Before and after his stint in Hell. Do you think he's changed enough to be trusted?"

Bonnie took a deep breath, "I totally understand why you would be wary of him, and he's got a horrible past, no denying that. But I do believe he's changed for the better. I think the fact that he died and what he went through while in Hell managed to get through to him that he couldn't continue as he was. Kai is admittedly someone who, when you give an inch, he'll try to take a mile."

"Like he took his nieces?" Claire took a sip of her drink.

"Yes, like he took his nieces." Bonnie agreed. "He's very possessive of what he considers his, the fact that they were cared for and loved by Alaric...their father." Bonnie rushed to explain. "He still saw them as his simply because they were his sister's kids, therefore they were Gemini. Therefore they belonged to him."

"Do you agree with that line of thinking?"

Bonnie shook her head, "No. I've made it clear that what he did was horrible. Alaric drank himself to death, my friend Caroline was inconsolable. You know she's a vampire?" At Claire's nod, Bonnie continued, "She considered this her one and only chance to be pregnant and carry children. So to have them stolen from her, she blamed herself for a long time."

"But" The other woman prompted.

"But, I can't find fault with the way he's raised them. They are smart, capable, extremely talented young women. They've grown up in a great environment, and they are going to be a credit to the Gemini Coven, and whatever coven chooses to have them as allies."

"Your upbringing was vastly different, was it not? You were around their age when you discovered your powers, correct?" Claire prodded.

Bonnie frowned, why were they talking about her? "Um, yes. It was around this time, yeah."

"You lost your grandmother at a pivotal time, all that magical knowledge she could have imparted onto you, just gone. The ensuing years were extremely trying as well." She paused to look at Bonnie. "You haven't had the easiest time, have you, Bonnie? Having had to go at it alone all this time."

Bonnie was starting to get an inkling of what else the coven leader wanted to talk about. Her suspicions were soon confirmed. "I've already made up my mind about Malachai. You see, I knew him and his family prior to that horrible day in May. Becoming reacquainted with him after all this time, not to mention his delightful nieces, it's obvious that he is not the same young man. He needed help, not isolation, and I suppose granting him ally-ship is my way of offering him the assistance that none of us offered back then."

Claire stood and walked to Bonnie, "But you, you would also be an invaluable addition. Not only are you a Bennett, but you have more than proven yourself as a capable witch in your own right. You lost your magical family at such an important period in your life, what would you say to joining mine?"

Bonnie was speechless, this isn't the first time that she has been offered the chance to join a coven, but it is the first time she feels a tug of want.

"I'll let you think it over." They bid each other a good night and soon Bonnie was on her way back to Kai's house.

* * *

"Anyone home?" Bonnie called out. The house was unusually silent. Normally around this time, there would be heated discussions on who's turn it was to clean the kitchen, and fights about doing homework.

"Kai? Care?" Bonnie made her way up the stairs to the room she had woken up in all those months ago. She knew that Kai normally liked to hide in there sometimes just to get away from what he called "the estrogen parade".

"Kai?" Bonnie knocked softly before opening the door. Kai was reclined on his back sideways on his bed with his phone clutched in his hand.

"How was dinner?" He didn't so much as blink, just continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"Um, fine. Good. Are you okay?" Bonnie walked over and laid down beside him.

Kai let out a laugh, "Yeah. I'm good. Claire just called, said she's agreeing to align her coven with mine." He turned his head towards Bonnie, "I don't know what you said, but thank you."

"I told her you were possessive as fuck, and that your time in Hell must have kicked some sense into your psychotic ass." Bonnie deadpanned.

"Well whatever it was, thank you." He leaned over to brush a kiss against her lips. She smiled into the kiss, "I mean, I didn't do anything, but if you really wanna show some gratitude…" she trailed off as he rolled so he was laying on top of her. "Oh, I've got all kinds of gratitude for you, Bon."

Bonnie swatted his arm, "So charming."

"Damn straight."

* * *

The next morning found Bonnie attempting to sneak back into her own room, but even before becoming a vampire, Caroline had a nose for gossip. She waited until Bonnie had shut her own door before revealing herself, "Exactly what have you been up to, young lady?"

Bonnie let out a shriek before spinning around to see the blond standing with her arms crossed in the middle of the room. "Fuck!"

"I sure hope so." Caroline sat on the still unmade bed and patted the seat next to her. "Come on, the girls are still sleeping, and I need some good morning after talk. It feeds my soul, and you don't want my soul to go hungry, do you?"

"Can I go to the bathroom first? Or is your soul on the verge of passing out?" Bonnie snarked.

"You have 10 minutes, Bennett." Caroline looked at her watch purposefully. Bonnie knew from experience that her friend was serious.

10 minutes later on the dot, Bonnie was sitting on her bed with her childhood friend. She had made sure the room was spelled, so there would be no one listening in on her conversation. Caroline nodded at the right moments, and made all the appropriate comments. Bonnie felt like they were 15 and squeeing over their high school crushes again.

"So you took the plunge, finally!" Caroline beamed, "Now I can stop dragging out this damn house search and sign the papers."

"You've been dragging this out? Why?"

"Because you needed to get laid!" Caroline yelled. "My God, watching you two circle each other was just painful for everyone." She put on her serious face as she spoke to Bonnie, "Look, I know why you were hesitating, but this isn't like the whole Damon/Elena thing. As much as a part of me will always hate Kai for taking the girls away, he made the right choice, Bonnie. I truly believe that. It wasn't just for the sake of being destructive. He wasn't lashing out because you rejected him….well this time." Caroline conceded. "He learned from his mistakes, something Damon never had to because Elena was always there to forgive him for whatever shit thing he did."

"He did it because he was thinking of his last remaining family members. He knew he was most likely killing his chances with you ever forgiving him, but all that took a back seat to protecting them and teaching them to be as strong as they could be. I can overlook missing all that time because he focused on _them_, on their health, and their well-being, not his own."

"I don't want it to seem like just because I'm hot for him, I forgive everything he's done." Bonnie tried to clarify. "He killed his siblings, then his whole coven."

"Then you and Damon sent his ass to Hell. I mean, if that's not a wakeup call to look at your life and decide to change, then I don't know what is." Caroline answered back. "You obviously have worked your way through it to have fallen for him, so why be hesitant now? Go for it, I'll back you 100% if anyone wants to say anything. You deserve to be happy, Bonnie. Does he make you happy?"

"Yeah." Bonnie sniffled as she nodded. "He makes me real happy, I haven't felt this since.."

"Enzo?" Caroline supplied.

"Kinda, I know my relationship with Enzo was not exactly healthy. I think I latched on to him because we were the only two people around. I did love him, but I don't think it was in a good way. I wanted him to be my everything, I wanted it to be overwhelming. Hell, I almost set myself on fire just to get him to save me."

"You did what!" Oh right, she'd never told anyone about that.

"This isn't like that" Bonnie rushed to say, "it's big yeah, but it's not overwhelming. I don't feel like I have to compete with anyone. I know he wants me, and not a ghost, or as a consolation for the one he couldn't have."

"Which brings me back to my question that I've asked many, many times before. Will you be moving in with me?" Caroline raised a perfectly arched brow.

* * *

Bonnie groaned as she set down the final box.

"You realize that you're just gonna have to move this stuff back in eventually, right?" Kai commented from the open door.

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Okay, first of all, nobody asked you. Second, it's not everything, just clothes and stuff. I can't let Caroline live by herself."

"She's got the girls like three days a week, she's hardly alone." Kai swooped down and picked her up, carrying her to the bed and tossing her on it.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Bonnie was so proud of Kai, he and Caroline had come to an amicable arrangement on the girls. Their main residence was with Kai, of course, but most weekends and school breaks they stayed with Caroline and Bonnie.

Kai shrugged, "I'd rather have you all underneath my roof, but this works too." He leaned down to kiss under her ear, "But as an added bonus, we don't have to worry about the girls barging in on us as much."

No sooner had the words been spoken than they heard twin sounds of disgust from the door, "Ew gross. You guys have a whole other house to do that in now." Josie's face was scrunched up, while Lizzie was averting her eyes.

Kai lifted his head, "Have I taught you two nothing about privacy? Maybe I should spell your rooms to never let you out while I'm here." He jumps off the bed and heads down the hallway to their bedrooms, with the girls fighting him every step of the way.

Bonnie laughed as she got back to unpacking, suddenly feeling the urge to call Damon and thank him for doing whatever he did that ended up with her being hexed. She had managed to find not only two lost little girls, but also a brand new family to call her own.


End file.
